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ECONOMIC CONDITIONS OF THE FISHERIES IN ITALY 

By Guido Rossati 

Representing the Italian Ministry of Agriculture , Industry, and Commerce 

Address before the Fourth International Fishery Congress 
held at Washington, U. S. A., September 22 to 26, 1 908 

BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES : : : VOL. XXVIII. P 323-332 
Document No. C(.2 '■ ::::::::::::::: Issued February, 1910 



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ECONOMIC CONDITIONS OF THE FISHERIES IN ITALY. 

By GUIDO ROSSATI, 
Representing the Italian Ministry of Agriculture, Industry, and Commerce. 

& 

Honorable President, Ladies, and Gentlemen of the Congress : It is 
a gratifying duty that I have to perform in thanking the honorable gentle- 
men who have welcomed us to this congress and the members of its 
organizing committee for the courteous invitation extended to Italy to be 
represented at this important gathering. I do so personally and in the name of 
the Government of Italy, whom I have the honor to represent. I can assure 
you that the Government of my country takes the utmost interest in this 
assemblage of eminent scientists and technical men, gathered here for the 
purpose of studying the multifarious problems connected with fishing and of 
promoting an industry which is probably the oldest to which man has applied 
himself for his sustentation. The Government of Italy attaches the greatest 
importance to this congress because it is in sympathy with the development of 
fish culture, and not only the Government but also the scientists of Italy will 
follow with great concern the labors of this congress, as is evidenced by the pres- 
ence here of one of the best -known Italian authorities on the subject, viz, Prof. 
Decio Vinciguerra. 

No better place for a fishery congress could have been chosen than Wash- 
ington, the capital of a great and modern nation, stretching from one to the 
other of the two largest oceans of the earth and embracing a great variety of 
climates, which enable it to avail itself of a great diversity of sea food ; traversed 
by numberless rivers, among them some of the largest in the world; containing 
some of the greatest inland water basins; a country rich in streams, bays, gulfs, 
inlets, where the supply of fish is so abundant; in brief, a land which combines 
so many natural advantages and favorable conditions for fishing as to be beyond 
comparison with any other part of the globe. 

But there is another and yet stronger reason why the United States of 
America has attained preeminence in the fishing industry, and this is to be 
found in the fact that its people have sought and are continually striving 
for a better utilization of these natural factors of economic wealth, thus standing 
as an object lesson to other countries where the bountifulness of nature has not 
always been a stimulus to development and to the exercise of such effort as to 



326 BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES. 

attain a high standard of progress. It is this exercise of endeavor to a constant 
betterment of conditions in all branches of human activity that characterizes 
this nation essentially, and it is this characteristic that most strikes the atten- 
tion- of foreigners when viewing the economic and social conditions of this 
country. It is this spirit which pervades the national life, the factor, quite as 
important as the natural wealth, that has brought the United States to the front 
in all lines of activity, and that makes it the object of admiration of all civilized 
countries. 

To this well-directed and successful effort through the Government, associa- 
tions, and private individuals, and to the splendid work of the American fisheries 
bureau and of the many stations, scientific laboratories, and aquariums, is due 
the fact that this country derives from the fisheries greater profit than any other, 
although it is only about half a century since the pursuit of fishing has been able 
to avail itself of the advantages of scientific research and discoveries — this itself a 
line of work in which American talent and ingenuity have probably many fol- 
lowers, but none surpassing them. Owing to these conditions we come to this 
congress as to a school from which we are certain we shall go away greatly 
enlightened. 

The country which I have the honor to represent has since time immemorial 
occupied itself with the pursuit of fishing. The lacustral inhabitants of northern 
Italy who had built their homes on the lakes in order to attain the conditions 
of safety that were essential to their social life must unquestionably have been 
fishermen. We learn from ancient historians of people living on the shores of 
the Mediterranean who were great consumers of fish. Sea food figured promi- 
nently in the fare of the ancient Romans, especially in the great dinners with 
which Lucullus, Hortensius, and other Roman amphitryons used to delight 
Roman society during the golden period of Latin history. We have all read 
about the "muraena," a favored dish with the Romans, and which, according 
to an ancient writer, had to swim three times — in water, in sauce, and in wine — a 
habit of swimming which fish still preserve to-day. That the Romans favored 
fishing, notwithstanding the primitive methods by which it must have been 
carried on at that time, there is no doubt, for we know that sea food entered 
largely into the diet not only of the rich but also of the plebeian classes. More- 
over, we can not peruse the Georgics of Virgil or the Metamorphoses of Ovid 
without meeting frequently with references to the inhabitants of the deep. The 
advice of Ovid, "Semper tibi pendeat hamus quo minime credas gurgite, piscis 
erit" (Let thy hook be always ready, as a fish will often be in waters where 
thou least thinkest of it), is in both fishing and common life still of up-to-date 
application. 

During the middle ages and the troublous times which characterized that 
period of Italian history, the Church, which had built on the ruins of the Roman 
Empire a new order of things based on Christian teachings, became the patron 



ECONOMIC CONDITIONS OF THE FISHERIES IN ITALY. 327 

of the fishing industry chiefly by reason of the dietetic precept of abstinence 
from meat during certain days of the week which it imposes on its followers; 
and we are reminded of the fact that the Church was established by a fisherman, 
and that several of his colleagues were of the same calling. It is undeniable that 
the Church exercised a favorable influence on the industry of fishing, which 
flourished and received further stimulus when Italy, under the republics of 
Venice, Genoa, Pisa, and Amalfi, which were essentially maritime states, began 
to send fishermen all over the Mediterranean and found in fishery the most 
efficient and practical school for raising a population of able seamen, to whom 
is essentially due the greatness acquired by those famous republics. 

Even to-day Italy maintains preeminence in fishing in the Mediterranean, 
which is due to the Italian labor engaged in this industry. Italian fishermen 
are to be found all along the coast of Algeria, Tunis, Tripoli, the eastern shore 
of the Adriatic, and in the Greek Archipelago, often engaged in the most danger- 
ous and varied forms of fishing, whether it be spearing the swordfish in the 
Messina Straits or plunging into the waters surrounding the Lampedusa Isle 
in search of sponges, trapping the tunny-fish on the western coast of Sicily and 
Sardinia, netting the shoals of sardines on the coast of Tuscany, or exercising 
themselves in the ingenious methods of coral fishing on the north African coast ; 
all of which are special branches of fishing in which the Italians have attained 
great proficiency and enjoy a world-wide prestige and demand. They are also 
the support of important industries, such as the canning of tunny-fish, sardines, 
and anchovies, which find natural facilities in Italy's large production of the 
olive oil required in their packing. 

Italy, however, with a seashore extending over 4,300 miles and a population 
of about 115,000 men that derives its means of livelihood from the sea, man- 
ning about 24,500 fishing boats, has a yearly output of fresh fish representing a 
value of only about 22,000,000 lire. Even allowing for the imperfection with 
which the statistical data are gathered, considering the great extension of her 
shore and the great amount of labor engaged in this pursuit, these figures show 
at once that the fishing industry in Italy, however traditional and assisted by 
the natural inclination of the people to it, is still far behind the reasonable expec- 
tations of the country, especially from the standpoint of the profit that the 
fisherman derives from his industry, which is unfortunately lower than in any 
other important country of Europe. 

The cause of these conditions, which make the task of the fisherman in 
Italy a rather thankless one, is not to be found in any want of activity or energy 
on his part, but to circumstances over which the husbandman of the sea^ 
has practically no control and very little means whereby to better things. Such 
are, for instance, the much discussed depauperation of fish in the waters where he 
exercises his activity, accentuated by the fact that no tentative effort has yet 
been made in Italy with regard to the restocking of maritime waters with fish; 



328 BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES. 

what has been done in this direction being confined to the restocking of inland 
waters with choice species, where the conditions of the industry are perhaps 
enjoying the advantages of greater attention. This is not surprising considering 
the fact, almost general even in the most progressive fishing countries, that 
fishing on inland waters is much easier and not fraught with the uncertainty and 
perils of the sea, and is therefore assuming every day more of a cultural character, 
the pisciculturist cultivating the water as the agriculturist cultivates the soil 
for the feeding of man. 

But, returning to maritime fishing, the main reason why Italy does not 
make a better showing in its results from an economic standpoint is the 
primitive methods by which fishing is still carried on, entirely by small sailing 
craft, which in other countries have been largely supplanted by motor power 
to propel the boat and operate the nets. Then, the absence of proper organi- 
zation and intelligent cooperation, which are necessary factors to secure a prompt 
and wide distribution of such a perishable article as fish, is another cause. 
Steamboats to carry the catch promptly to distributing ports; good landing 
facilities and a quick and well organized railroad service to expedite the delivery 
of the fish to the markets in the shortest possible time; an intelligent application 
of the use of ice and refrigerating plants in the transportation, preservation, and 
distribution of this perishable commodity; cooperative action among fishermen 
in order to secure to themselves the highest percentage of the profit deriving 
from their labor; credit within easy reach and at a moderate rate of interest 
to fishermen; elimination of octroi duties and the fiscal dues which at present 
handicap this industry — these are some of the essentials for rehabilitating its 
destinies. 

Besides maritime fishing, Italy is greatly interested in inland water fishing, 
its numerous rivers, lakes, and lagoons suitable for this purpose occupying practi- 
cally one-eighteenth of the surface of the Kingdom. Filippo de Filippi, a 
noted Lombardian zoologist, who was the pioneer of fish culture in Italy, stated 
that if there is a country favorably laid out by nature for the development 
of inland fisheries it is certainly the A r alley of the Po. 

Notwithstanding the inherent love of the Italian gentleman for angling, 
evidenced by the fact that there is no villa of any importance in Italy not pro- 
vided with a "pescheria" where fish are raised, not for sale but for the private 
use of the owner who can exclaim with Carew — 

Thus mean in state and calm in sprite 
My fishful pond is my delight — 

fishing in fresh water is probably in not much better condition than the maritime 
industry, and the value of the annual output of inland fisheries in Italy does 
not exceed 6,000,000 lire. 

We have no special statistics to show what is the value of the fish taken 
from lagoons or estuaries, where fishing is an art that has engaged the attention 



ECONOMIC CONDITIONS OF THE FISHERIES IN ITALY. 329 

of the adjacent population from the earliest times. This blank in the Italian 
statistics is all the more deplorable as it is unqestionably from this source that a 
good deal of revenue from the fishing industry is derived. Of what importance 
these lagoon and delta fisheries, in Italy comprehensively called "vallicoltura," are 
to a considerable number of the Italian population may be seen from a glance at 
the hydrographic map of Italy showing the considerable extent of the Venetian 
lagoon, famous for its mullets; of the Valli di Comacchio, formed by the delta of 
the Po, where the eel, sung by Ariosto and Tasso, is the staple of fishery; and of 
the Mare Piccolo of Taranto, noted for its oyster beds, already celebrated in 
antiquity as were the esculent bivalves from Lakes Fusaro and IyUerino, which 
the Parthenopean siren offers to the visitors with the allurements of White 
Capri. 

It is the fishing on inland waters that has received the greatest attention 
on the part of the Government, although even sea fishing has not been neglected, 
at least from the standpoint of legislation. With the progress of hydrobiology, 
a science which has developed practically within the last fifty years and to 
which the genial labors of such men as Spallanzani, Rusconi, Canestrini, Issel, 
and other Italians have largely contributed, dates the action of the Government 
to the fostering of this branch of national economy. 

The lines upon which governmental action has been directed to the promo- 
tion of the fishing interests are summarized in the following paragraphs : 

First. The policing of maritime and inland waters in order to discipline the 
catching of fish by prohibiting fishing during the time of the spawning and 
reproduction ; by fixing the minimum distance from the seashore where fishing 
is allowed, as well as the depth at which fishermen may lower their nets; by 
establishing the kind and quality of the nets and the minimum size of fish that 
is allowed to be marketed ; by prohibiting the use of explosives and poisonous 
materials in the catching of fish, and also the use of undesirable fishing apparatus; 
all of which disciplining is done according to the dictates of science with a view 
of regulating the supply, its continuance and increase. The enforcing of the 
laws and regulations on fisheries (the fundamental one of which dates from 1877) 
is intrusted to the captaincies of the ports, to the custom-house officers, to the 
officers of the royal navy in the case of maritime fishing, and to forestal 
officers, local police, and custom officers in the case of inland waters. Unfortu- 
nately this policing of fisheries in Italy leaves yet much to be desired in its appli- 
cation, and the law is frequently violated with great loss to the fishing industry, 
both through the incentive of illegitimate gain, and in a good many cases also 
through mere ignorance. Hence the necessity of insisting upon a greater spread 
of knowledge among the masses of the people regarding the habits of fish, the 
time and way in which their reproduction take place, migrations, and all technical 
information which may be conducive to greater enlightenment on the subject. 
This would be the best measure of prevention against damage often done through 
sheer ignorance. 



330 BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES. 

While, of course, the necessity of laws and regulations disciplining fisheries 
in order to maintain their productiveness is unquestionable, we believe, never- 
theless, that instruction and education are also great factors in preventing 
abuses and reaching a better standard. Instruction to this effect ought there- 
fore to be imparted to the people at large in elementary and secondary schools, 
and this without speaking of the necessity of greater education along these lines 
to those who will be called upon to exercise their activity in the economic life 

of the nation. 

Second. In having established advisory bodies, such as the Central Consul- 
tative Commission for Fisheries and compartimental commissions subordinate 
to the former, operating in the four or five maritime districts in which the 
peninsula has been divided for this purpose, and in having established besides 
provincial commissions on fishing. There are altogether about 2 5 such bodies. 
Third. In having created three piscicultural stations, one at Brescia, 
another at Belluno, and a third at Rome, the latter in charge of Professor 
Vinciguerra, whom we have the pleasure of seeing at this meeting. • These 
stations are intrusted with manifold duties, the principal of which is the incu- 
bation of the spawn and raising of the fry wherewith to provide for the repopu- 
lation of inland waters with fish of choice variety, and I am glad to state in this 
connection that millions of fry have been introduced of late years in the principal 
lakes and rivers of Italy, among the new varieties introduced being several 
American species of trout and whitefish. The directors of these stations are 
also required to give periodical lectures on fish culture and to spread useful 
information in regard to the industry. It is superfluous to state that the results 
obtained have been excellent, when the comparatively small appropriation for 
their sustenance is considered, and their action bids fair to exercise a deep 
influence in the revival of fish culture in Italy. The Government has also 
in late years, with the cooperation of local bodies in Venice, established a 
school for fishermen and for the preparation of technical men, which has sup- 
plied a want that had indeed been long felt and which has already accomplished 
much good in organizing the fishermen of the Venetian shore for a cooperative 
method of work. Courses of biology in connection with fish culture have also 
been instituted at the universities of Rome and Messina and at the Agronomical 
Institute of Milan, and have become popular among the students. 

Fourth. In having provided money prizes and awards in medals for encourag- 
ing cooperation among fishermen and rewarding the efforts of any society or 
private party endeavoring to foster the interests of fish culture in the Kingdom. 
The action of the Government has been ably seconded by such bodies as the 
Societa Lombarda per la Pesca e l'Acquicoltura, Societa regionale Veneta per 
la Pesca e l'Acquicoltura, and Societa 'Aaliona per la Pesca. 

It is to the concomitant efforts of the Government, of technical institu- 
tions, and of men such as Pavesi, Carazzi, and others that a greater interest is 



ECONOMIC CONDITIONS OF THE FISHERIES IN ITALY. 33 1 

being taken to-day by my country in developing the resources of its waters, an 
interest which will eventually lead to larger appropriations from the national 
treasury for aiding this industry in a way more adequate to its possibilities and 
requirements. 

Hydrobiology and its recent discoveries have opened new horizons to the 
possibilities of what has been comprehensively called "water culture." The 
natural depauperation is being remedied with the restocking in all waters inland, 
where new fields of fisher)? are suggested, such as the raising of carp in rice fields, 
as well as in the sea, evidenced by the restocking of the fjords of Norway with 
the eggs of the codfish. 

The importance of the plankton to fish life, of the flora and fauna living on 
the borders and in the bottom of waters; the relation of temperature to the 
inhabitants of the deep, which has suggested in certain localities the application 
of the thermometer to fishing; the relation of the chemical composition of water 
and of its greater or lesser saltiness to the population of the seas; the pathology 
of fishes, the application of artificially promoted diseases to obtain industrial 
results, such as the grafting on the pearl-producing oyster of the parasite which 
is the cause of the formation of the pearl, an original suggestion by Professor 
Issel of Italy and utilized by Herdman on the waters of the Ceylon island ; the 
habits and various stages of life of different fish having partly a pelagic and partly 
a fresh- water habitat, such as the eel; the prevention of the inquination of waters 
from the refuse of industrial establishments; the reforestation of lands to pre- 
vent muddy waters that are prejudicial to the life of delicate fish — all these 
subjects are to-day far better understood and studied than ever before, not onlv 
by the general scientific world but also by progressive ichthyologists. 

Although the "cultivation of the water " is a far more difficult problem than 
that of the solid crust of the earth, not only because of the greater perils with 
which the former is identified, but also because we are less acquainted with the 
conditions of existence of the animals which populate the water, still it is one of 
those problems the importance of which the future will make even more evident 
and impellent. The preoccupation manifested years ago by Sir William Crookes 
with regard to scarcity or insufficiency of the staple of life confronting humanity 
in a near future need not engross the minds of economists, because it will find 
its natural solution in the increased rate of production of wheat which is 
within the sphere of reasonable possibilities, and also because human ingenuity, 
as the population of the earth increases, will develop other sources of supply of 
food. If in the past humanity has called upon the earth for its main sources 
of sustentation, the humanity of the future will call upon the water in a more 
intensified form for this need; and the "intensive cultivation of water" as well 
as of the earth will be a conquest probably not so remote as we may believe. 

The contribution that Italy has already given, and I hope will be able to 
give in the future in greater degree, toward this desirable end is and will be 



332 BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES. 

notable, judging not only from the standpoint of the eminent services which her 
scientists have rendered to the progress of this, as well as of many other branches 
of activity, but also from the viewpoint of the aid that her seamen will give in 
the domain of the multiform energies of the water. Those fishermen who, 
through no fault of their own, can scarcely make a living on home waters, you 
will find industrious and prosperous where natural and economic conditions have 
been more generous to humankind. And thus you see Italian seamen controlling 
fishing in several parts of this country, such as certain parts of the Pacific and 
the Florida coasts. 

Hence the importance that Italy attaches to this congress, in which she is 
taking more than a passing interest, for the promotion of American fisheries 
means also the promotion of the interests of a large class of countrymen of mine 
engaged in this field ; and the best wishes for the successful labors of this congress, 
the result of which I shall report to my Government with that satisfaction that 
comes not only from the acquiring of new knowledge, but also from the certainty 
that this new knowledge will be highly beneficial to all countries interested in the 
exploitation of the waters. 



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